Chris Ashworth, head of estates at Ashton Sixth Form College, has been awarded a British Empire Medal in the King's new year's honours for his services to further education.

The British Empire Medal is an award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown.

A long-standing member of the college team, Chris was nominated by his colleagues for his outstanding contribution to the college and the community during the pandemic. 

Chris was on site every single day of the lockdown, making sure that the site was secure. Once decisions were made about returning to work, he single-handedly sourced the required PPE and cleaning equipment and worked tirelessly with one other member of his team to make the necessary changes to classrooms, removing furniture and reconfiguring classroom layouts to meet COVID requirements. He did all of this with his customary cheerfulness.

Alongside this, Chris supported the NHS and local people, assisting his wife, a nurse at Tameside Hospital, to source valuable PPE and helping elderly local residents with shopping and errands alongside his job.

He took time to learn how to correctly use PPE to train all the cleaning team and the first aiders so they were comfortable in its use. Nothing was too trivial or too small; Chris did it all.

In other times, Chris single handedly saved the college hundreds of thousands of pounds through the renegotiation of contracts, all of which could them be spent on teaching and learning.

The college said in a statement: "He is a shy and modest person, but the work he does shows his measure. He deserves this recognition for the work he completed during COVID-19, but also for the work he always does for the community. He is an example to us all." 

Chris commented: “It's an honour and a privilege to have received this award, especially for just doing my job. I’ve worked at Ashton Sixth Form college and now Stamford Park Trust for 18 years and have loved every second of it, it’s amazing to work for an organisation that values and recognises achievements.”

Anton McGrath, CEO of Stamford Park Trust, added: “Congratulations to Chris on the award of the British Empire Medal (BEM). Chris is an outstanding member of staff and fully deserves this recognition for the many years of service he has given to the Trust and to the college.

"This was exemplified by the way he managed the estates and facilities during the Covid pandemic; his 'can-do' attitude and willingness to find solutions to problems was essential to our successful return. On behalf of the Members, Trustees, members of staff and students across Stamford Park Trust, well done! We're all immensely proud that you are part of our community.”

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